It was 2013 when the yoga teacher seed first got planted. I never thought it would lead me back to India a second time nor did I see myself teaching around the world and even more so, on luxury cruise ships. I got the chance to become the first mindful living coach when I was on Silversea. I applied and within a week I had the job and was due to fly out of Bermuda not long after for more training in London.

My role on board was teaching 4 yoga classes, yoga flow, modified flow for back pain, chakra balancing and restorative. I led a daily mantra based meditation and was trained to perform a crystal singing bowl meditation which was my favorite. Among these duties I also delivered 6 hour long seminars on mindfulness for the cruise ship guests.

It was a very stressful, very exciting but very meaningful experience and although I had lots of issues with the company I worked for, it did not take away from the amazing feedback I had from guests and the chance I had to change some peoples lives for the better. This was one of the best experiences of my life and has led me to be chosen to lead my own yoga retreats in Kotor Montenegro in Aug and Sept 2017 for a well-known boutique hotel, so watch this space....

This thought came to me recently when I had a conversation with someone at my new studio about the idea that once you do a hot yoga class you get slightly addicted to it and somehow other yoga classes don't compare. This rang somewhat true to me and was something that in the beginning I thought would never happen.

It took me a long time to even try a hot yoga class, mainly because I had studied and trained in Rishikesh, India- a place where it was made known to us every day that 'hot yoga' was not 'real' yoga and that it had just become a means of 'exercise' in the western world. The whole 'hot' yoga idea was basically coming from Calcutta where it was genuinely a climate that people practiced yoga in.

And then came the whole Bikram phenomenon....

For my personal practice I enjoyed and felt at peace doing the traditional Hatha, ashtanga and Iyengar etc and never really thought twice about doing anything like this in a hot room. Reluctantly, whilst in Vancouver, the hub of all things yoga, where various yoga studios compete against each other and lululemon (Canadian yoga brand) fashionistas roamed the streets, I decided to give it a go. It was at Y Yoga that I tried my first hot class and at first I was convinced I would pass out or have to leave the class early. I had no idea what to expect or no idea what I would feel like. I had heard horror stories of teachers not letting you drink water or ignoring passed out students on the corner.

Little did I know that this was the beginning of a whole new practice for me. I began to attend regular power and hot yoga classes and then eventually joined a hot yoga studio which I went to almost every day. For me, I enjoyed the feeling of sweating, of feeling more flexible, of feeling strong and of clearing my mind all at the same time. The only thing I disliked was that at my studio which was basically a Bikram studio we practiced the same sequence every day intentionally. I preffered diversity and I preffered the sweet meditative savasana, to close my eyes in poses and the meditative side of yoga - so this style wasn't entirely for me.

One thing I do enjoy is variety in classes but done in a hot room to get extra benefits. Right now, just like at one of my studios in vancouver, I am practicing a mix of power, Hatha, Yin and vinyasa flow all in a steaming hot room, which is seriously challenging. Some classes I attend vary from 60-90 minutes but right now I am loving it and can't keep the smile off my face when I leave a class.

I would say that hot yoga can be addictive but it's also down to the individual and sometimes it's just not for everyone, like anything in life. But what I can say is, go and try it for yourself and let me know your experiences.

Since getting to Vancouver I had been looking around for the best deals at Yoga studios here and as you can imagine in one of the most sought after cities in the world, the prices were through the roof. Luckily, I found a good deal with YYoga for 30 days unlimited yoga classes for $40- $42 with tax, damn canada and their non inclusive taxes.

YYoga has 13 locations all over the country and a lot are scattered around vancouver. Y Yoga Yaletown was conveniently located down the street from my hostel and Y Yoga downtown flow was even more conveniently located down the street from my new appartment (once I'd moved).

I made it my mission to go to as many classes as possible to learn as much from the different teachers available. On an average day I would go to a power class before work and sometimes if I had a late start to work I would go to power and Hot yoga back to back. After 2 weeks going to Yaletown and 2 weeks at the downtown flow location I had clocked up 26 hours of yoga. Definitely got my money's worth.

Since then I have gotten a side job as a Yoga Teacher teaching Yin and Flow classes nearby my apartment in the westend. I feel like attending all of these classes has given me ideas and inspiration for my own practice and teaching method.

Y Yoga's facilities are too class with beautiful showers (althoigh Theyr see through), toiletries, mats, towels, big wood floored rooms and delicious tea and filtered water. The staff are super friendly at both locations I have been and would always remember me and greet me. Important in customer service ;)

Now my month is up and I'm off to find my next deal. Maybe a month of unlimited Hot Yoga :)

As a qualified yoga teacher it is a common question to be asked how long you have been teaching yoga and judging by your answer, some might be curious about what 'cool' poses you can do etc. When people say you are good or bad at teaching yoga or just at practicing yoga, It is a mislead statement, because there is no such thing as a good or bad yogi. The fundamental part of yoga is that no matter what qualification you have or don't have, you are a constant student. Bare in mind, it is said that to master anything it takes at least 12 years of doing that specific thing every day and even then, do you stop at being a master?

It is always nice to feel good about 'conquering' a pose that took so long for your body to understand but at the same time, yoga is a life long practice and there will always be one pose after another that you want to master. The key to this, is not letting your ego take over and using each progression as a life lesson. Personally I have noticed that I have come a very long way since I started doing yoga, in terms of knowing how to correct myself, flexibility, finally feeling confident about self practice and not getting mad at myself when I don't practice. The main thing for me and a lot of other yoga teachers out there is that even though we have attained the qualification of 'teacher' we are as much the students as the people we are teaching.

Since I qualified a year and a half ago, I decided to dedicate the time in between studying for my 300hr, to use my teaching practice on myself. It was the best decision for me because it got me where I wanted to be, and gradually, which was important. I finally did my 300hr training a year and a half later when the time was right and now my confidence to share what I know with others, has evolved. Teaching others for me, is a learning experience for myself most of all. I learn about each and every 'body', I learn about my own teaching style, I learn about modifications for the students I have and I learn how to be patient with myself in the process of this lifestyle. A good yoga teacher isn't about showing off advanced poses that you can do- because that's all ego-, nor is it just about how well you conduct a class, it is about the balance of everything in between. It is about being confident with your imperfections and being happy to learn every single day while expressing yourself in front of a class. A lot of people think they can't do yoga because they aren't flexible or would feel intimidated by a bendy teacher but at the end of the day, the teacher needs you to help them learn things in their practice just as much as you need them, and believe it or not, even the most advanced teachers admit the struggles they have with certain poses.

Teachers versus students..? Yin and Yang...! Both need each other equally and without one, the other wouldn't flourish. So if you are a teacher, take note of what you learn from your students in the next class you teach and if you are attending a yoga class as a student, take note of what you learn from your teacher. It's important to realise that you are also your best teacher and the only one who knows your body and mind, so use this knowledge in your every day routine and you will surprise yourself.

In recent days I've been learning more and more about Yoga Therapy and the benefits it has over western medicine which these days doesn't always get to the root of the problem. It's becoming more often that people are being told the only option to fix a certain problem they have is surgery, whether it be a drastic hip/knee replacement or removal of a bone spur somewhere in their body. This has become more apparent in the past few days as we have studied X-rays and examples of problems that can be solved with yoga therapy. It's a real pity that the entire world doesn't know that yoga therapy is a real option out there and that we are relying and trusting the doctors we see back at home, without looking into other alternatives. People may laugh when you suggest that they try yoga to help a certain problem but its incredible what yoga has helped people with, even people who were told they would never walk again. I remember a girl in my yoga teacher training last year, telling us her incredible story at the beginning of the course about that exact thing and how yoga literally turned her life around. Yoga can truly defy the odds and more people need to know this.

Our doctor went on to tell us about some amazing things in our life which we probably never realised before for example how we should eat according to the region, season and our nature. He explained that we should eat what is in season wherever we live because mother nature knows what our body needs and what it is lacking at that time of year and so it provides us with a fruit/veg etc with the specific nutrients we need. Fascinating stuff. He went on to explain that if we live in hot country's we should eat more spicy food (eg. South India) because in the heat, our blood rushes to our skin and away from our organs so by eating spicy food we bring the blood back to the digestive system to aid digestion. The same goes for the cold parts of the world. In the winter, our blood rushes to our vital organs to keep them healthy and warm and so we don't need to add anymore hear for digestion there. Our incredible body holds 5L of blood and 1.5L of that is in reserve in the calfs. He told us that if your body requires blood to the head or other parts of the body for instance you can lay with your legs up against the wall to let gravity aid the blood in that direction.

We went on studying the muscles and relating them to poses and in turn relating them to disorders that someone may present to you. Its incredible that by knowing which muscle is the culprit in the disorder, you can stretch it over time and bring balance back to your body. We also talked about the different types of yoga and benefits and though there are some superficial benefits to faster yoga like vinyasa flow/ashtanga or Hot yoga, these styles aren't in synergy with the original philosophies of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the basis of Yoga and here we hold static poses for a longer period of time which calms our mind, works into the organs and strengthens the muscles

He explained the differences between Yoga and exercise (which many people believe are the same) such as the efect on our mind and personality. Gym bunnies tend to have a faster pace of life, ready to respond quick and will have an active Sympathetic nervous system (which causes stress/anxiety) whereas yogis tend to have a calmer mind, take time to decide and use the para sympathetic part of their nervous system which keeps us calm and relaxed. When it comes to sweating it is even different. Yoga sweat tends to be cool and clammy whereas exercise leaves you hot and sweaty. Yoga is static in nature and exercise is dynamic in nature. If someone comes to a yoga class with the mindset of 'wanting to lose weight' or 'wanting to be flexible' without 'wanting to balance the mind' number one, then they have lost the philosophy of yha in the first place. Exercise focuses on the peripheral body and Asana (yoga postures) actually focus on the organs and the body as a whole creating peace within.

To sum it up, Yoga Therapy is a relatively unknown option for medicinal purposes in the west and this needs to change. It's all about going back to nature and nature has everything our bodies need. There is no need for drastic surgery or suffering from high blood pressure, stiffness, pain, bad digestion etc when you have the answer right in front of you. I urge you to research this concept and go and find a Yoga practictioner/therapist near you. It will turn your entire life around.

This is a blog topic I've wanted to write for a while now and what better time to write it than straight after practicing Yin at my current yoga school. As most of you probably know already, I have returned to India and better still, to Rishikesh Yog Peeth where I studied in Aug/Sept 2013. I am taking my 300hr teacher training course this time and nearing the end of my 4th week right now, I can safely say that I have learned heaps of new things and everything seems to be falling into place finally.

Some of you may have heard of Yin yoga, have even taken a class or two before or some of you may never have heard of it before which is why I'm writing this piece. Prior to Sept 2013 I hadn't heard of Yin yoga myself and it wasn't until a 300hr student named Steph used this style during her teaching our with my 200hr class and I nearing the end of her course. We loved it so much in fact that we requested to have her teach us a few more times after that until she had to leave to return home to Canada. After leaving India, I made it my mission to attend Yin classes wherever I could, in Bali and in New Zealand etc which furthered my knowledge of the style. It wasn't until returning to Rishikesh this time round that I realised I wanted to focus on this style as I felt it suited who I am and what I feel comfortable doing.

The concepts of Yin are relatively new but are incredibly interesting. Unlike some other styles of yoga, Yin requires the yogi to hold a static (passive) or active pose for a certain period of time ie. 3-5minutes generally in order for the stretch to penetrate the connective tissues, ligaments, fascia and muscle. This In turn helps increases blood flow to the area and synovial fluid which means your joints and ligaments etc will be more flexible and healthy. A lot of faster paced yoga (Yang styles) doesn't penetrate this deep because the poses are switched more often therefore Yin is a very beneficial style for everyone. There are not as many poses in this style of yoga than there are in Hatha Yoga for instance but some of the poses can be modified. It's said that we good a lot of emotions in our hips (issues in our tissues) and that when we hold a 'hip opener' pose such as 'the shoelace' (image below) for 3-5 minutes, breaking through the intensity of the stretch and the block in our mind then this can have very calming results. It's not unusual to start crying or laughing in a class and it is encouraged to let whatever comes to the surface, out because this is what will free us from the fluctuating mind and help us become more aware of ourselves and our bodies.

For my first teaching experience this time round, I chose to Yin and I got great feedback from my peers afterwards which was very encouraging and sweet. We are lucky enough to have a lovely and very wise older couple here with us teaching some lectures and classes whom have both studied Yin with Bernie Clark in Canada. I am planning to do my exam speec about the concepts of Yin yoga at the end of my course and considering I'm moving to Vancouver this summer, I could be lucky enough to do yoga with Bernie Clark too. Having studied Yoga Therpy intensively this week with an Indian doctor, I am more aware of the benefits of static postures on the body and furthermore the benefits that Yin can have on each and every body too. I'm hoping to gain more knowledge on this incredible style in the near future and hopefully be able to start sharing the concept and benefits with others.

Not a lot of people may know but Yoga can be very effective with treating health problems or disorders in people. It gets right to the heart of the problem which always lies within the anatomy of the body, and it aims to focus on ways to help improve the quality of ones life. This is known as Yoga Therapy and is becoming more widely known in the western world these days. While studying my advanced 300hr yoga teacher training here in Rishikesh, India, my classmates and I have been privledegd enough to have a whole week of intensive yoga therapy training with Dr Deepak Sachdeva from Dr Deepak Sachdeva's Medical Yoga Centre in Delhi. (Link below) It came as a surprise when our teacher Roshan told us that we would have 18 hours of training with him which would then leave us with the minimum requirement to go on and study a diploma in Yoga Therapy if we so wished at a later stage.

For me, this was very exciting because having studied a two year diploma in Beauty and Holistic Therapies back in Ireland not so long ago, I knew that I had a keen interest in the body and the anatomy/physiology of the body itself. It was my favourite subject in college and I was excited to learn more. Today was our first day of the training and we spent 6 hours studying all of the bones and some of the muscles of the body whilst associating them to Yoga Asanas (postures). Yoga Therapy is fascinating in the sense that, Dr Deepak himself even said, that the diagnosis starts as soon as the person walks into the office because everything about them including their posture, can give you a clear indication of the problem they might be suffering from. For me, I got a glimpse of this during our Figure Diagnosis module in college, in which we analysed the body for postural deformities and aimed to give exercises and nutrition advise to help combat the problem. It wasn't yoga related but it had the same concept of being all natural and treating the problem holistically.

It's truly amazing that so much research had gone into Hatha Yoga and the therapeutic benefits it provides and considering in the west we have a habit to prescribe medication constantly to patients without getting to the root of the problem, I hope this will be the future of Holistic living and treatment of disorders. Personally I don't know if I will ever study towards a diploma in Yoga Therapy but this is an incredible link to join up my love of holistic living, my skills as a beauty and holistic therapist with my skills as a Yoga teacher and who knows where that may take me. But for now, I am going to absorb as much of this truly worthwhile information for both myself and my future yogis.

So for any of you who don’t know the reason form my 6 weeks stay in Rishikesh, here is where I will elaborate a bit more. My first and foremost reason is that I will be attending a 6 week Yoga Teacher Training course here, in the Yoga capital of the world. I had been practicing yoga back when I was in school and on and off ever since, which we had to discuss in front of our new group during our first day at the school- but I will get to that! It’s not that I want to necessarily be a teacher after the, but I figure I would rather do it for the experience and journey rather than having high expectations of myself at the end. I’m no expert at yoga and my being here, Is the beginning of my real yogic journey, my aim to learn the philosophy and practice of yoga in detail. If teaching comes from that then so be it, I will take it all as it comes.

So to begin with, my less yogic like journey to Rishikesh itself was something entirely different. I had been in contact with Raine, Franzisca & Susie online through the Rishikesh Yog Peeth (our school) website and group emails. It was so great knowing that I would arrive to Delhi once again having people there to meet me and that we would all take this journey together. After two short flights but a long transit overall, I arrived In Delhi for the second time during the trip, only this time my flight was late. I wandered around through the exits to find my new yogi’s and the private car that would take us to Rishikesh. I was so late, but when I arrived we all were so glad to see each other. We finally left in the car, which then took a further 9 hours on familiar bumpy roads, with a few stops along the way for food and toilets etc. The route to Rishikesh had been changed due to the Shiva festival which saw thousands of people dressed in orange marching from Rishikesh to Delhi, and this was the reason for the longer than usual transit to Rishikesh.

With the four of us in the car, we alternated between conversations, listening to ‘Im a Barbie Girl’ on the stereo and taking well deserved nap times, before finally reaching Rishikesh at around 10:30pm Aug 3rd. Our course would start on the 5th but our orientation would be on the 4th therefore we were super happy to have arrived with some time to spare. We were all so relieved when we were shown to the Krishna Cottage where we would be staying, and furthermore to our private rooms. I was ecstatic to see my large room, complete with King size bed, Balcony and En suite which I could finally unpack, having been used to on the go travelling for the previous 4 weeks. Krishna Cottage itself seemed beautiful and had a jungle setting, with a grassy courtyard, a dining hall, and overlooking balconies surrounding it. We all decided to get a shower and head straight to bed. The next morning breakfast was at 8:30am, unbeknownst to me, so I didn’t wake until 9:30- I much preferred the extra sleep anyway! I met the girls down at reception where we gave our documentation, filled in some forms and paid our fee. We paid USD$1250 for our 6 week course which included all your food, your private room and your training which was incredible, as I would probably spend that on a general trip with no training included.

It’s always hard to hand over your beloved credit card when you know how much you are spending and are on a budget but working t out at around $20 per day is an absolute bargain. When all the serious stuff was done, we decided to head to the market stalls in and around Ram Jhula and Laksman Jhula which are the areas surrounding where we are staying in just near Rishikesh. After a long walk around, popping in and out of quirky shops and admiring scenery of the Ganges and mountains along the way, we handed in our laundry in one of the only laundrettes we could find and right next to a beauty parlour, which we were also looking for. After a bit of waxing and threading, we were on our way onwards through more of the somewhat busy streets, when we decided to stop for some lunch in Lucky Restaurant, where we all had amazing meals including Paneer Butter Masala, Palak, Mushroom Masala & Cheese Dosa along with plenty of naan breads. The food was amazing, and the waiter wasn’t bad either. We laughed a lot yesterday and it seemed like we were all quite similar people with a similar sense of humour. It was at the orientation ceremony later that evening after a rest and a shower-It was scorching in Rishikesh,-,that we met the rest of our group from Krishna Cottage and the other half from Surya Palace, which we had been divided into at the beginning. The orientation began with a prayer at the top of the room and we all watched in awe at the ceremony . During the prayer we were each given a red bracelet on our right hand, markings on our foreheads and some Indian sweets. Towards the end we were invited to come to take part in the prayer by gathering at the front and two by two, moving a chalice of candles in circular motion in front of the statue. Im not quite sure of the meaning of the prayer but it was an amazing experience and it was so nice to be able to take part as a group. All of us who are in the same boat experiencing the same things here.

After the prayer, we had a talk about the schedule we would be undertaking in our 6 weeks. It goes as follows

-5am- wake up

-5:30am- Herbal Tea

-5:45-6:00am- yogic cleansing (using a Neti pot with salt water to clear the nasal passages)

-6:00-8:00am- Mantra/Asana/Pranayama (yoga, breathing, chanting)

- 8:30am- Breakfast

-9:30-10:30am Philosophy

-10:45-11:45am- Anatomy and Physiology

- 1pm- Lunch

- 5:30pm-7:pm- Asana and Paranayama (yoga and breathing)

- 7pm- silence to be observed onwards

-7:15pm- Dinner

- 8:30pm-9pm Meditation

-10pm -Lights out

We then headed back to Krishna Cottage, while the other half stayed at their homes away from homes at Surya Palace. I really loved that we were brought to Krishna Cottage and that we were altogether, It is an amazing place and setting here. I was so excited to start on my new journey, for whatever reasons I have been brought here, for whatever experiences I am destined to learn and whomever I am supposed to cross paths with along the way! Our first day would be tomorrow! 5am let's be having you!

This blog topic came to me as I was sitting in a cross leg meditative pose during the end of my yoga practice this evening. Listening to the song 'Remember' by Omkara, I did in fact start to reminisce in deep thought about the last time I had listened to this song and from there I continued to reminisce about all the emotions I had during that time. I had last listened to it in a yogic sense, during my final teaching practice at Rishikesh Yog Peeth while my students were in Shivasana. In that very moment I felt so full of new knowledge, so free and so full of love and happiness.

As I sat in position, wrists resting on my knees, palms facing up and with thumb touching finger, It occurred to me that a lot of people in this world have misconceptions about yoga and the true meaning of it. Since travelling after India, and with my new found yogic mindset and knowledge, I have been approached with many questions. Such as -how great it is to do yoga to lose weight or how yoga isn't as hard core as other exercises or even people asking me what the hardest pose is that I can do. Truth be told, I'm not an expert and never claim to be, but yoga is and always will be a personal journey. The basis of yoga comes down to your lifestyle and maintaining balance in your life by incorporating pranayama (breathing), asana (physical poses) and meditation (to still your mind).

Yoga is you and you are yoga. As my philosophy teacher in Rishikesh used to start off with 'Yoga for me is......' And I would say that yoga for me is in fact, a lifestyle. I don't do yoga to lose weight or to show off as a fitness freak, I do yoga because It makes me feel calm, it helps me see clearer in my life, it helps me every day to better myself both at my practice and in my life and yes of course feeling somewhat good about your body is icing on the cake right?

These days there are variations of yoga such as Bikram, which is a form of yoga performed in a heated sauna type room. The aim is to circulate the blood faster, help you attain postures faster and to promote a healthier body which are all great, but it seems that in the western world yoga is sometimes just used as a form of exercise. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't too aware of the meaning of yoga before going to India but having learned so much about the spirituality and energetic levels of the whole lifestyle, I wanted to write this blog to share what I have learned and hopefully encourage people to go straight to the source of yoga and judge for themselves.

Yoga is a beautiful way of life and everybody should try all aspects of it sometime in their life to gain the true reality of it. In a perfect world I would say that everybody should go to Rishikesh- the birthplace of yoga and the place with the best energy I have ever been-, but that's easier said than done. Search yourself and take it step by step.. As Roshan said to us at the beginning of our yoga course 'Yoga will find you'.

Author

Jade started practicing Yoga at 16yrs of age and since then has always incorporated various aspects of Yoga into her life. She is Yoga teacher certified (200hrs) having studied in India in Aug 2013 and is currently involved with further 300hr teacher training in India. She hopes to teach her own classes in the near future.